Putting epigenetic aging clocks on trial

A new study offers the first systematic test of whether DNA methylation clocks behave the way a surrogate endpoint for aging should, responding to genuine clinical benefit and remaining stable when there is none. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution Access options Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription $32.99 / 30 days cancel any time Subscribe to this journal Receive 12 print issues and online access $259.00 per year only $21.58 per issue Rent or buy this article Prices vary by article type from$1.95 to$39.95 Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout Subjects References Moqri, M. et al. Cell 186, 3758–3775 (2023). Sehgal, R. et al. Nat. Med. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-026-04562-9 (2026). Belsky, D. W. et al. eLife 11, e73420 (2022). Lu, A. T. et al. Aging 11, 303–327 (2019). Horvath, S. Genome Biol. 14, R115 (2013). Higgins-Chen, A. T. et al. Nat. Aging 2, 644–661 (2022). Li, S. et al. Nat. Med. 32, 1012–1022 (2026). Anderson, P. L. et al. Preprint at medRxiv https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.03.23.26349105 (2026). Stanfield, B. et al. J. Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle 17, e70274 (2026). Fleming, T. R. & Powers, J. H. Stat. Med. 31, 2973–2984 (2012). Teschendorff, A. E. & Horvath, S. Nat. Rev. Genet. 26, 350–368 (2025). Ying, K. et al. Nat. Aging 4, 231–246 (2024). Author information Authors and Affiliations Corresponding author Ethics declarations Competing interests S.H. is a named inventor on patents and patent applications directed at epigenetic biomarkers, including the GrimAge and PhenoAge clocks; the Regents of the University of California are the sole owners of these patents. S.H. is a founder and paid consultant of the nonprofit Epigenetic Clock Development Foundation, which licenses these patents. S.H. was a principal investigator at Altos Labs until March 2026 and holds equity in Altos Labs. Rights and permissions About this article Cite this article Horvath, S. Putting epigenetic aging clocks on trial. Nat Med (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-026-04524-1 Published: Version of record: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-026-04524-1